Published in Verve Magazine, July 2017
Additional text added to this post from original. Images by Sitanshi Talati-Parikh from her live instagram feed (Jan 2017).

It is a mind-numbingly cold morning. We are the first call — before daybreak — on the coach taking us into snow-clad Swiss mountains to the Italian brand’s watchmaking atelier. Bulgari is best known for its jewellery (Elizabeth Taylor was a long-standing fan) and luxury goods including fragrances and leather accessories, and hotels. It is the brand’s incredible watchmaking journey, however, that is the focal point of discussion between the journalists of various countries today.

Pascal Brandt

Upon arrival, we disembark at Le Sentier, a town tucked away from the world. Pascal Brandt’s passion (and attention to detail) is deeply evident as he greets us. The communications director for the Bulgari watch division has a background in journalism, and having previously worked with other watch brands like Vacheron Constantin and Panerai, he immediately comments on the watch on my wrist.

The first Bulgari watches were made in the ’20s, but it was only at the end of the ’70s that the firm presented its first important collection. Following the success of the Bulgari Roma launched in 1975, the Bulgari Bulgari watch was created, a model that is now considered a classic and an icon, and continues to be one of Bulgari’s bestsellers.

The brand has come a long way, horologically speaking, since it founded the company, Bulgari Time, in Neuchâtel (the heart of Swiss horology) in 1982. Today Bulgari’s range of watches include several lines of classic, sporty, complicated and precious timepieces. For instance, 2014 saw the launch of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, the thinnest tourbillon movement ever made — creating a world record.

Guido Terreni, the gregarious managing director of Bulgari Watches, said to me at the Baselworld watch fair two years ago, “To be credible in luxury, you have to be credible in terms of style and craftsmanship both. That’s why we have developed the know-how internally. After all, the ladies are buying competence!” To that effect, Manufacture Bulgari fully masters the production of the mechanical watch movements ranging from grand complications to the ultra-thin hand-wound calibres, as well as the standard Solotempo self-winding base movements. Production of the external elements — metal cases, bracelets, high-end dials — is also done internally. The Manufacture’s vertical integration strategy — evidenced by a string of acquisitions from 2000 to 2007 — has enabled the brand to progressively secure the skills required to make a complete watch, catapulting Bulgari into the cluster of elite watch manufacturers.

The 350-plus workforce is spread over four sites in the Jura mountains: Le Sentier (which we are visiting) for the grand complication, ultra-thin Finissimo movements and the production and assembly of the Solotempo calibre; the Saignelégier facility for the gold and steel cases and bracelets production; La Chaux-de-Fonds for the manufacturing of high-end dials. Assembly and the final controls on the watch are at Neuchâtel, which continues to be the seat of the operations. What ties all the facilities together is the drive to succeed and the quest for perfection. After all, the journey to watchmaking success for Bulgari has been uphill; and now that they are at a remarkable height, it’s not one they will surrender easily.

As we look out from the large windows of the Le Sentier facility in Vallée de Joux, it’s lonely and quiet. The kind of place that permits you to hear your thoughts, to explore silence and musical notes in précisément. Besides the variety of ‘classical’ sophisticated complications such as the tourbillon and the perpetual calendar for instance, Bulgari is at the top of its class in its ability to craft the whole range of highly acclaimed chiming watches. Its expertise is evident as we stand watching master craftsmen at work in the manufacture de haute horlogerie’s dedicated chiming workshop.

Each watch component is assembled (with up to 1,000 components), adjusted and decorated entirely by hand: it takes around one year for the master artisans to complete a single grand complication timepiece. We meet Bulgari’s John Sheridan, the industry’s youngest watchmaker to work on minute repeaters, which require incredible skill and knowledge by virtue of their extreme technical demands. Bulgari has four of the 12 minute-repeater specialists that exist in Switzerland — who need at least 20 years of experience. For Bulgari, as Brandt puts it, the Swiss high watchmaking tradition is in the hands of one Irishman, two Frenchmen and one Portuguese!

You can’t help chuckling at the calendars on the wall — they are in the form of moonphases. The facility includes the technical office, the hotbed of the research and development of movement-related projects, and the production office where the complicated (and super-complicated) watches are produced. They are working on everything from pre-ordered pieces to a futuristic five-year plan, including some top-secret stuff that we may (or may not) have seen.

As we head back, driving into sunnier skies, and stop for stunning photo ops at the frozen lake just outside our lunch spot, Bellevue Le Rocheray, we take a moment to admire the calm that is spread out around us. In that coolness of spirit, lethargy doesn’t prevail; rather the sounds of perfection sing through the hills. Bulgari as a watchmaker believes in quality assurance over quality control. The inspection is carried out not only of the final piece but also at three specific stages: during the creative phase, after each individual component is made, and during assembly. Every stage in the production process is monitored both by the watchmaker himself and by the quality assurance inspectors, who check functions and compliance with rigid quality parameters.

Bellevue Le Rocheray is a buzzing chalet tucked away into the secluded hills. Post the comprehensive walk-through of the facilities, the meal is leisurely, abrim with warm Italian hospitality. The wine is flowing and our vegetarian needs are particularly satisfied. The conversation on the table has shown Brandt, much like the core watchmaking team we have interacted with at the previous Baselworld fairs, to be witty, erudite and honest. I pose a question about the ‘Bulgari Diagono’ prototype with the ‘vault’ facility (the big moment from Baselworld 2015). While it has got held up in trying to get worldwide banks on board, we hope that some version of it may be in the market in the future.

Falguni Kapadia, Sitanshi Talati-Parikh, Pascal Brandt

Terreni had said: “We are the only brand that thinks about technique and design simultaneously, we are not selling to watch freaks; we are selling to people who know what luxury is about and can recognise the authenticity of an idea and the craftsmanship in the watch. I love idea generation, to see the design grow, to see the prototype become true…but your emotion is the true reward of all this work. I don’t look for ‘I like’, or ‘I don’t like’; I look for ‘Wow’.”

Admittedly, now, having seen it with our own eyes, a Bulgari timepiece is the happy marriage of Italian creativity and Swiss technical craftsmanship. It speaks for itself that although last year saw the luxury industry on shaky ground, Bulgari finished the fiscal year, as Brandt puts it, “on a very, very good note!” After all, the Octo Finissimo minute repeaters (in their extra-thin collection) launched last year were all sold out. Brandt says simply, encompassing the enormity of what they do to be successful: “All the pieces are very wearable”. (Read my Baselworld 2015 interview with Guido and Fabrizio here.)

Alexandre Peraldi has a fluid sense of fashion. He is passionate about ‘balance’ and is inspired by ‘everything and absolutely anything.’ Perhaps it is suggestive of the creativity that helps him keep the clock ticking at Swiss watchmaker Baume & Mercier (B&M), a brand that was founded in 1830. He’s been with the Richemont Group (a Switzerland-based company that owns some of the best luxury brands in jewellery, watches and writing instruments) since 1988, which incidentally is also when B&M joined the group. B&M are known for their sporty, classical watches in the ‘affordable’ mid-range luxury watch segment. Popular B&M lines include the Clifton Club – vintage watches based on the brand’s offerings from the mid 20th century, the minimalistic Classima, and Linea for women with interchangeable straps.

Excerpts from an interview with the Baume & Mercier design director:

12 years at Cartier, 16 years at B&M. What has the journey been like?“Patient. I’d like to use the line of the musician who said that, to be a good one, you have to learn classical music for 10 years and after that, you will be able to play jazz. I learnt ‘classical’ design at Cartier and I moved to Baume et Mercier to ‘play jazz’. It has been a very exciting journey.”

You believe in a fine balance with the tension of imbalance – how do you bring those two elements together to get that perfect jazz note?“It’s difficult. First of all, it’s teamwork. At B&M, we try to design with the marketing, industry and design teams together. Being affordable is a very important constraint while being a great opportunity. You are obliged to go further in your design, to improve upon it and to be able at the end to find the best solution, with the best quality, with the best price. At Cartier, we designed directly and it reaches production without price constraint.

The other constraint is the aesthetics – we try to stay classic with no extravagance. And yet, we have to find that touch of originality. Elements in design give this kind of balance between elegance, affordability and timelessness.”

Do you still sketch by hand?“Yes. Less and less. I just engaged with two new designers, and it was very important that they are able to design by hand. When you have an idea in mind and when you work in a team, to explain something, you take a pen and like that… (sketches for Verve). If you don’t practice a lot, you lose your ability to design. We just spoke about inspiration – in the past, when I saw something, I always had a notebook to sketch in. Now, I have a phone to take a picture. While, now I can take a lot of pictures, later I may look at the picture and wonder why I took it – which wouldn’t happen if I were sketching what caught my eye.”

Does one design for the brand or for the market?“The brand is nothing without the market. At the end, we have to be successful. We have to fit the needs of different markets, which is difficult. We are an old international brand and we have our own DNA. But, we have to adapt this design to the reality. So, we have to be aware of the competitors – not to follow them but to try to understand this market. The nightmare for us is that we don’t have our own boutique, so we can’t get direct feedback from the customer. Now, with social media, it will be a little bit easier because when the people don’t like something, they say it. (But when they like something, they don’t say it!)”

What is the future of the wristwatch?“I don’t know! I am not really pessimistic. It’s an old story in watchmaking, that we (watchmakers) continue to exist, albeit, differently. Let’s take a parallel of the car. In the past, cars were all the same. The only change we had for years was the front-wheel drive and automatic transmission, and now you have electric or driverless cars. But a car with the motor, engine, wheels and doors will continue to exist; and I think it will be the same for the watch.
Perhaps we would change some details within the watch: the movement, connection or connectivity. The first step is the Apple Watch, but it’s not the final step. We didn’t imagine it in science fiction, but now everything is possible. When you see Star Wars, it is not the future. It is now. It will not be the role of the designer to change the watch, but of the innovator, who may come up with new materials, perhaps.”

What should an Indian buyer know about a B&M watch before buying it?“They should know that it’s a very comfortable watch.1. It fits the wrist well. It’s a sports watch, but you can wear it with anything. If someone says to me, ‘I forget the time while wearing your watch’, then my work is done.2. The second comfort is that of aesthetic appeal. We are a classic, elegant brand. We are not aggressive or extravagant. We pay attention to details that would make a difference to the wearer.3. And the third comfort is that of the wallet. We have to be affordable.”

Earlier this week, Emma Watson received the first gender-neutral award for Best Actor (Beauty And The Beast) at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. “It says something about how we perceive the human experience,” she said. The award was presented by Asia Kate Dillon, who plays TV’s first gender non-binary character (Taylor, on Billions).

Like other recent events, this added to the ongoing conversation on gender-fluidity.

For a culture like ours, with its thrust on uber masculinity and coy femininity, reconciling to this phenomenon may be shocking, but not impossible. While one knows androgyny to be the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics, ambiguity in gender could be a lifestyle, sexual or style choice.

Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus have identified themselves as pansexual, but perhaps it is young actor-rapper Jaden Smith’s bold outlook that has fired up the imagination. Will Smith’s son is seen wearing a skirt as part of Louis Vuitton’s Series 4 (Spring/Summer 2016) campaign about a heroine and the multiple facets to her personality. The brand’s creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, believes Smith “represents a generation that has assimilated the codes of true freedom, one that is free of manifestos and questions about gender. Wearing a skirt comes as naturally to him as it would to a woman who, long ago, granted herself permission to wear a man’s trench or a tuxedo”.

Androgynous roots

Le Smoking, Yves Saint Laurent by Helmut Newton

Worldwide, sartorial acceptance tipped when the founders of two path-breaking French haute couture houses, Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, gave women trousers and tuxedos in the early and mid- 20th century, respectively. Many male music legends have flirted with everything from make-up and heels to ruffles and florals, but it was David Bowie (in his sexually ambiguous Ziggy Stardust persona) and Prince (in his flamboyant Purple Rain-era) who cut the sartorial cord with their seminal style statements. More recently, American hip hop artiste Young Thug wore a dress for his album cover, while British footballer David Beckham has been spotted in nail paint and a sarong.

Historically, pre-colonial India saw no issue in dressing up its men, particularly royalty; the traditional male outfits of Gujarat and Rajasthan are adorned with colours, mirrors and gathers, while drapes like shawls, anarkalis, lungis, kurtas, salwars and churidars have been a long-standing part of India’s unisex fashion grammar. Even as the idea trickles down—Tridha, a school in Mumbai, has genderless uniforms (a short kurta students can wear with lowers of their choice)—in a country that lends exaggerated importance to binary sexuality, fashion is setting a new pace for a forward-thinking society.

Beyond binaries

A model wearing Rajesh Pratap Singh.

Designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, who has an affinity towards androgyny, finds the audience for unisex clothing limited. “As women found independence and emancipation once again in India, wearing men’s clothing is considered stylish in most urban areas, but it doesn’t hold true for most parts of the country,” he points out.

What is true though is that modern silhouettes for the local landscape increasingly tend to be sleeker, deconstructed or fluid, shaped according to will, body type and occasion. From anarkalis to dhoti pants, from cholis to shirt-blouses, we have made a shift in styles, and increased the functional element of formal wear. But are women able to take the leap to wearing perhaps a tuxedo to an Indian wedding? Mumbai-based designer Payal Khandwala, whose lines for women are largely anti-fit, says: “It (gender-fluid dressing) will be a parallel movement. The bright side is that it makes us question the male gaze we have taken for granted and re-examine our preoccupation with ‘pretty’ and ‘hyper-sexualized’ clothing for women.”

Unisex clothing creates ambiguity towards age, shape and size, naturally defying the restrictions imposed, stereotypes perpetuated and social comment invited by accentuating and fitted garments. While many designers locally have nailed the anti-fit trend, there have been attempts, such as the “Ungendered” clothing line released online last year by Zara, that faced flak for its unimaginative designs. Unisex outfits shouldn’t be drab, shapeless or colourless—rather, they should be a celebration of clothing that is chic while being free of conservative parameters.

A model wearingGucci.

Women in menswear may be de rigueur, but men in women’s clothing is certainly up for exploration. A key designer of genderless fashion, J.W. Anderson’s Fall 2013 collection sent a male model on the runway in ruffled shorts and knee-high boots, showing off muscular, hairy legs. Singer Pharrell Williams, who likes Chanel necklaces, has starred in the couture house’s Gabrielle bag campaign this year. International luxury brands like Gucci (whose fluid vision under creative director Alessandro Michele has been touted as inspired and sound) have “genderless” models—those without an associated gender—on the runway, also unifying men’s and women’s fashion weeks. Michele stated last year, “It’s the way I see the world today.”

It was a “fluid-packed” fall 2016, with Burberry harking back to Bowie-esque ruffled shirts for men and military-style jackets (also seen in Givenchy’s campaign) for women, along with gender-neutral trench coats.

A model wearing J.W. Anderson.

Bungalow 8 founder Maithili Ahluwalia is unimpressed by men in skirts. “It is not a natural evolution, it is fashion. A man’s body is structured differently and it is a bit limiting to think that what works for one may work for the other. It should be a mindset over a sartorial choice, not a surface-level relationship with fashion. Would a man wear gender-fluid clothing to work, particularly if he works in a bank?” she asks. Possibly, if he is anything like actor Ranveer Singh, who has turned red-carpet dressing on its head with his penchant for aggressive experimentation—of course, creative professions do allow for more sartorial freedom.

Delhi designer Ujjawal Dubey, founder of label Antar-Agni, whose styles are “androgynous and flattering to both the sexes, avoiding stark lines and labels between genders”, believes India is primed for change. So does Sumiran Kabir Sharma, whose new label Anaam is said to “dissolve all stereotypes”. Sharma works as “a silhouette generation artist, not focusing on the physical and the biological part of the human body that defines gender”. According to him, going genderless is not a passing phase—“it is definitely the future of fashion”.

A model in an Anaam piece.

Kolkata-based designer Kallol Datta, who started out making (and wearing) gender-neutral clothing, is now moving towards “sexless clothing, where there is no acknowledgement of gender”. “I’ve favoured all-enveloping shapes and certain proportions when layering pieces of clothing…there is a blurring of lines with these shapes.”

Going genderless

If the male gaze changes, so may the female gaze. In Tokyo, following the explosive trend of “genderless kei” (kei means style), “genderless boys” have appeared on the scene since 2015. The popular Japanese idols tend to be slim-bodied, with dyed hair, make-up and nail polish, coloured contact lenses, and attention-grabbing outfits. They are not necessarily gay or trying to be like women, they are rejecting gender norms and establishing a new yardstick of style. It’s likely inspired by the Korean term ulzzang (“best face”), a common beauty standard for both men and women derived from the “flawless” K-Pop idols.

In America, Marilyn Manson’s genderless Mechanical Animals cover set the tone years ago but today, gender-neutral models like Rain Dove have gained supermodel status. Dove’s Instagram page says: “I’m not a Boy. I’m not a Girl either. I am I.” And further, “Sometimes I like lace panties. Sometimes I like briefs. It’s my body…. And I’ll cover it however I damn please.”

Today, numerous designers worldwide offer unisex lines of clothing, and stores like Selfridges in London stock an “Agender Fashion Without Definition” collection across three storeys, suggesting that the trend is more than that—it’s a new way of life.

Fashion should cater seamlessly to one’s individuality, without leaning towards homogeneity. Khandwala agrees: “At its core, what one wears must be a democratic decision that comes from a place of honesty and self-evaluation. The impetus cannot be external and certainly not because it is a fashion movement.”

Is the potential dissolution of gender a fantasy of the future or a reality of today? As predefined roles get blurry, so does the way we dress. And we should find our voice in that freedom. Worldwide, as socio-politico-religious mindsets get narrower, perhaps it is fashion’s lot to expressively push back as the non-conformist and heterogenous “genderless uniform” of a truly inclusive and free-spirited society where it is, literally, best face forward.

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How we got here

A brief sartorial history of the blurring of gender lines

Coco Chanel

1910s: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel changed women’s relationships with their bodies and ways of life by introducing them to trousers and jersey sportswear.

Katharine Hepburn

1930s: Katharine Hepburn’s path-breaking attachment to men’s shirts bought secretly from the back of New York’s Brooks Brothers store and Marlene Dietrich’s seminal moment kissing a woman on screen while wearing a bow tie and top hat.

Excerpt: In sub-zero temperature, Geneva became the hotbed of haute horlogerie. This was also the first time the exclusive, invitee-only fair opened its doors to the public on the last day, to experience the pleasure of fine watchmaking. And yet, surrounded by chicly-attired attendees (the cold seemed to bother no one, in fact the wardrobe worked it’s magic in stunning layers), the watches sparkled and shone in all their new glory. Perhaps the mood was a bit muted, perhaps the markets are not what they used to be, but the will and passion burned bright. A big take-away is IWC coming up with a sophisticated and dedicated line (Da Vinci) for the ladies… (we wished and you heard us!) Sonam Kapoor as brand ambassador was a ballsy move to pull in a big chunk of the unexplored market for the brand. Here’s a recap of our Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2017 journey (Snapped from Insta Live).

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Geneva, is considered the crème de la crème of watch fairs, with it’s invitee-only entry, extremely selective offerings and some of the world’s most exclusive watch brands in attendance.

Systematically designed with country-based media slots to watch the unveiling of the year’s novelties, even the bracing cold (rumoured to be the coldest SIHH ever) could not dispel the passion emanating from the warm recesses of the Palexpo fair area, even though the hallways held whispers of the fair being a milder version of it’s earlier glory.

The booths may have been cookie-cutter for most part, but the window displays were innovative and some were just breathtaking in their intricacy. The presentation that took the cake, however, was hands-down the Audemars Piguet virtual reality tour of their manufactory with the humour, wit and infectious enthusiasm of the CEO François-Henri Bennahmias, that made even the sleepiest journos wake up at the fag end of the day.

This year saw a new lot of 9 independent watchmakers presented in a separate Carre des Horlogers section, some with some standout pieces. After 25 years, this year, SIHH saw 24 exhibitors and a museum display ‘Square of Clocks’.

Meanwhile, our evenings remained busy with cocktails at the A Lange and Soehne booth, the Jaeger-LeCoultre gala affair to celebrate 85 years of the Reverso watch with a mesmerising live installation and a Christian Louboutin pop-up, and the ever-elegant Cartier dinner. Not to mention, an exclusive première of the exhibition Breguet, A Story Among the Greats, at Cité du Temps.

Fawaz Gruosi, the founder of the de Grisogono (1993) brand of jewellery and watches, is a garrulous personality, known for his ‘disruptive creations’. In a market filled with traditional jewellery, he took risks with bold designs, different materials and radical stones, like black diamonds. An exceptionally active man, he’s probably taken a total of three months off in 21 years! He explains why India wasn’t primed for conceptual jewellery and his love affair with the country….

What’s the India chapter all about in the De Grisogono tale?
I have had a bad experience with India. We opened an amazing shop six or seven years ago at Emporio in New Delhi. We were number 3 or 4 after Cartier and Chanel, the shop cost us a fortune. We did not have a problem selling watches; the jewellery was another story. The women wanted to know how much gold there was in each piece. The problem was that they didn’t understand the price of creativity, design and uniqueness!

After two years, our costs of maintaining the storefront was so high that we withdrew. But now, the brand is more known, there is likely to be a better attitude.

What defines the De Grisogono woman?
She is not defined by where she is from, physical attributes, or if she has an angelic face…. I think the beauty in the woman comes from her character. When a woman is sure of wearing something unusual, she wears it like she does not even remember that she has it on.

How do you dream up these unconventional designs?
I am not someone who sits at a desk waiting for inspiration. I could design sitting here talking to you; it might just click in my head. And, I can imagine immediately a pair of earrings. Normally, my pocket is full of papers.

When I buy stones or I decide to do something very complicated, I never think about how much it will cost or how it will be priced. My creativity is linked to my heart. I just want the piece to be beautiful. Perfection doesn’t exist, but we try hard to find it…and to do what other people cannot do!

What does it take to create a luxury brand today?
Let your creativity flow and don’t be scared. If you have an idea, and you believe in it, go for it. Sometimes it will happen, sometimes it won’t. Success without a bit of risk is not realistic, unless you are part of a big group.

Have you been to India?
Several times. I have been to Mumbai and Delhi. I love India very much. I attended an amazing wedding about a year ago. I was also in love with an Indian girl and the long-distance relationship between New York and Geneva lasted a couple of years.

‘In watchmaking, everything has already been done, and everything has yet to be invented.’

Born to a wealthy family in Lyon, and from the Geneva watchmaking school, Christophe Claret trained with Roger Dubuis and studied corporate management. With 25 years of experience in manufacturing for watch brands including Ulysse Nardin, Claret, who’s currently wearing his Maestoso watch, decided along the way to use his Neuchâtel operations for his own brand, where he ‘reinterprets haute horlogerie’. Besides the traditional and extreme lines with complications is his range of gaming watches. For example, while the Poker allows a real three-player Texas Hold ’Em game, Baccara doubles as a miniature casino with three games: baccarat (baccara in French), roulette and dice, each one of which also engages your audio, visual and tactile senses. Created especially for women are the Margot and Marguerite, romantic watches with a play on the ‘He loves me, he loves me not’ game, and the latter can have a personalised secret message.

Your watches are unique. How much importance is placed on art and design?
It is important to produce something with innovation. If I take inspiration from the watch industry, I would be recreating the same old design. It is very important to do something new. I am a perfectionist and for me, it’s perfection for detail and the aesthetic together that’s important.

You’ve launched a gaming collection. Do you play?
No. Never. I’m afraid to play! Some people can bet a lot of money and boom — that can go away! It’s crazy. The watch works for those who play, and those who don’t can enjoy the technicality of the complication.

What drew you to complications for women?
I’ve wanted to produce pieces for women for a long time. Despite what the other watchmakers thought, I’ve always believed that they are a big market for speciality products. That’s why I created Margot — a very complicated watch. We sold many pieces! And Marguerite happened. Today, many other brands are designing big complications for women. Though I was the first!

Do you see an audience in India?
I am very interested to sell in India. It’s a little complicated to open something there because you have tax issues. I’m sure there is a market for us. For the Marguerite and X-Trem-1, for example. I think we will be looking at India very soon.

‘True passion has always been the result of fine sensitive processes that happen over time ­— not the exploits of some exciting moment.’

In 1988, checking out watch stores during a winter vacation in Bern, Switzerland sparked off the idea to start a “young watch company offering innovative products”. In 1991, Aletta Bax and Peter Stas were married and began working on the design and development of their first prototype watch. The next year they presented their horological offering at the Hong Kong trade fair and found, to their surprise, an order for 350 watches from a Japanese buyer. Aletta is the chief operations officer at Frédérique Constant, which has recently been acquired by Citizen, and is responsible for all the company’s day-to-day operations. She works on the development of new designs; most notably she played a major role in the introduction of the Double Heart Beat collection.

What’s the one word that you would use to describe your journey?
Passion.

Isn’t that what your book, Live Your Passion: Building A Watch Manufacture, is about?
It is a mix between a coffee-table and business book, one we worked on together with two journalists from Austria and Germany.

When you are busy building a venture you often do not get time to reflect….
And then you also learn to stand still. You realise that the people whom you work with are also important, in the end, you cannot do it all alone.

Tell us about your role in the Double Heart Beat collection.
It was around 2006. I wanted to have some more presence with the ladies’ collections. Hearts are something that women always like. That is why I designed the double heart. It is now an important pillar in our collection. We also link the heart collection with heart- and child-related charities, where we donate 50 dollars for each watch sold.

Since last year, you have tied up with technology whereas others have only deliberated over it….
You are talking about our Horological Smartwatch. In the beginning, people were thinking that these are two different industries. While much of the Swiss watch industry remains traditional in thinking, we believe that if you can have a quartz watch with ‘connected’ (digital integration) features, then why should you not go in the direction of futuristic innovation, and why would the customers not be interested?

We need to integrate this whole system with cloud functionality, which is not our field. So, we found a partner who could do that. And, having sold 16,000 Horological Smartwatches, I can say that it is a pillar of Frédérique Constant; along with the ladies’ collection, with our new ambassador, Gwyneth Paltrow.

What’s the India story?
We started with a room five to six years ago, and last year, we grew 30 per cent. We have 40 to 42 per cent sales in India. We are really happy! The infrastructure is improving dramatically. I have visited the bigger cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chandigarh — a few times. It’s an impressive country.

Last year, Claude Emmenegger became the new creative director of Audemars Piguet. After a stint with the brand from 1999 to 2003, he left to establish his own design consulting company. Twelve years and working with 40 brands later, he is back, firm in the belief that his appreciation for the brand has not changed a bit. He’s the creator of the Royal Oak Concept (2002) and the Tradition of Excellence models 2, 3 and 4; currently his main objectives include the development of the women’s category, high-tech concepts and new functionalities. ‘Break the rules in order to revolutionise horology’ is Emmenegger’s philosophy. Find out more:

Design vision
“Audemars Piguet is known for its classical points, along with innovation. I would like to take the design in a more modern direction inspired by contemporary art: make it evolve — though, not change — from what it is now.”

Audemars Piguet philosophy
“Diversity in excellence. When Audemars Piguet does something new, the idea is not to stop things halfway; it is to do something innovative and to finish it in the right way.”

Creative inspirations
“We live in a world where we are bombarded by sounds, images, perceptions…. The strength of a designer is to be able to hear in all that mass of information — what is interesting, what could be combined, what is of essence — and bring that together into something new. Once you have passed the stage of mood boards where you filter out the things you want to focus on…then, what the world is doing and what the noise is saying doesn’t matter anymore. Then you just have to get it done!”

Advanced complications for women
“We are in the middle of progress into that field. It’s really a big project right now — there are things in the pipeline and on the board, to see how the movements can evolve.”

When design meets technology
“It’s a bit like two brothers with different characters…. When you have a dream that you want to transform into a reality, it takes quite a bit to follow a road and make it happen. Even if you want to, tech may say, ‘No we can’t do it!’ You have to be able to stimulate them and persuade them…we are going to bend the iron a little bit more, but we are going to make it work!

What has really changed is the team spirit. You have people from design, from production, from the technological world, having discussions as early as possible. And rather than ‘No, it’s impossible to make it’, to agree on ‘Let’s find out if we can do it!’”

Visiting the new manufactory of one of the world’s premier watchmakers, A. Lange & Söhne, in Dresden, Germany, to meet the people behind the scenes and find out what makes them tick

The girl is bent over in concentration, a magnifying eye glass strapped to her face…and when she looks up she takes a momentary glance at a candid photo of her family slipped into a metal wire stand. At another table, a man has a photo of the sunset staring at him, but if he were to look up, he would see, through large atelier windows, the lush green hillside on which the A. Lange & Söhne (pronounced ‘ah lang-eh’ and ‘zurn-neh’) manufactory resides, tucked away in the heart of Glashütte.

Germany’s prime watchmaking district, Glashütte (pronounced ‘glass-hoot-ey’), is an hour’s drive from the quaint Saxon town of Dresden and boasts 12 watch manufacturers of different calibres and hosts around 1,500 employees. These employees start their learning as early as the age of 15, and sometimes hail from different disciplines such as dentistry and porcelain making. They apply their fine motor skills expertise in watch manufacturing after undergoing at least three years’ training — including an extensive internal training — if they choose to work with A. Lange & Söhne. The people who work here are deeply passionate about what they do — their entire life revolves around their job.

The desks are pristine and clinical to a fault, except where you catch fragments of personalisation — a little bag of crisps or chocolate, kept neatly to the side — while the technicians work on tiny components with focus and sharp consistency, often not requiring the guidance of their computer screens that flash the exact technical procedure required at the time. The virtually dust-free and energy-efficient manufactory has individual ultra-modern workshops for the various processes — all the way from complications to engraving, from quality control to finishing and assembly. It takes a few minutes to a few hours to look over a single minutiae element; challenging ones can take up to a few days. The entire process of making a single handcrafted timepiece takes from six months to a year. It takes a person with a particular steadfast temperament and a great deal of passion for the job to have the staying power to continue in this vein.

And you can sense that as you walk through the spanking new manufactory that boasts a production area of 5,400 square metres, which can now house bigger and heavier machines, all entirely state of the art. You’re feeling like part of the establishment, clad in a crisp A. Lange & Söhne facility jacket and with machine-dispensed disposable plastic ‘socks’ on your shoe-covered feet. The double-skin walk-in facade has a climate-control function. Inaugurated last August, the facility, that cost in the double-digit tune of millions of euros, sees Saxony’s largest geothermal energy plant keeping the indoor climate pleasant year round. There is a serenity pervading the corridors and workstations, save for the sound of workmen putting the finishing touches to the new building. It is in this calm that perfection is allowed to thrive: an attention to detail, a rejection of that which doesn’t match their exacting standards.

Ferdinand Adolph Lange was the son of a gunsmith. The fire burnt strong in his belly for watchmaking, though, and in 1845 he managed to convince the local government to lend their support. He started in a small house on the Glashütte main street with a few apprentices. What had so far been a mining town was now poised to become the local centre of watchmaking. (His pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world.) Despite managing to survive both world wars, he faced hard times in the 1850s and ’60s; and when, after the Second World War, East Germany came under the purview of the Russians, he continued manufacturing, though the A. Lange & Söhne name nearly disappeared into oblivion.

In 1990, F. A. Lange’s great-grandson, Walter Lange, took it upon himself to relaunch the brand. In 1994, their first collection was launched in Dresden Castle. He was recently bestowed with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (First Class) by German President Joachim Gauck in recognition of his services in re-establishing Saxony’s watchmaking industry. Two months after winning the award, he remains affable, charming and humble as he walks with us around the A. Lange & Söhne booth at the exclusive Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) watch fair in Geneva, talking appreciatively about Indian women and their outfits.

In just over 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne has developed 51 manufacture calibres, which has given them a prime position among the world’s finest watch brands. Their greatest successes include innovative timekeeping instruments such as the Lange 1 (with the first outsize date in a series-produced wristwatch) and the Zeitwerk (with its supremely legible, precisely jumping numerals). The jocular head of development, Anthony de Haas, identifies what has become key to most heritage watchmakers. “It’s very important for us as a brand to stay true to the identity we started with in the 1990s when we rebuilt the company. And it is a challenge to create something new with the A. Lange & Söhne identity that’s very recognisable. The Zeitwerk is a very good example of that — of pushing the limits, not only technically but also in design.”

Their showstopper Zeitwerk timepiece was launched in 2009. It hails from a German word, which means ‘time-movement’. Standing in the Zeitwerk workshop in Dresden, I am privy to the fact that the timepiece has 415 to 428 parts and 200 oiling points (with four different oils). Missing a single oiling point would lead to the watch potentially stopping — which leaves one thankful for the extensive quality control and assembly checks. The manufactory’s complication department is the vanguard of the brand’s prestige watches. The watchmakers who work there are responsible for a single timepiece from beginning to end (unlike the other watches that move from one specialised department to another). In a world where there is a heavy dependence on technology, it is astonishing to discover that in this case, machines are used for checking and not for making that change, as machines cannot make fine adjustments, like to the 100th of a millimetre!

Last year, the big noise was the minute repeater with the decimal; this year at SIHH, the talking point was the limited-edition (100 pieces) Richard Lange Jumping Seconds which has an integrated jumping mechanism that makes it possible to display the time in strict one-second intervals. Says de Haas, “This is a typical collector’s watch — and you need a bit of an understanding of what’s going on. It’s a technical highlight, but packed in a very elegant, discreet way. You can make complications but they need to be nice-looking and fit the identity of the brand. Don’t do crazy things. Don’t start making diving or pilot watches, because others can do it far better.

A. Lange & Söhne never made watches to swim with, because the brand didn’t exist during the period when that became important. Also, with such a beautiful movement, with the sapphire case back, would I ever dare to jump in the water — even if I know it’s waterproof?”

A. Lange & Söhne has a tradition (started 150 years ago) of using German silver for their plates and movements, which requires two assemblies because of the delicacy of the metal. Despite the challenges associated with using this particular metal — not just limited to temperature and its sensitivity to humidity — it remains a speciality of the watchmaker for its beautiful golden, shining surface. It’s also symbolic of how the brand considers challenges and an indication of why it has so many movements to its name.

The watchmakers design their own tools for the intricate work. And it is intricate — as I soon realise when I am (as a surprise) taken to my own little private engraving workshop, where I am to sketch a design, then pick up a tool and work on a metal plate (which have both been made idiot-proof for newbies). I discover under local guidance that I am not entirely unforgivable at it, and I pass muster!

I get the hand-engraved piece returned to me in a box as a keepsake of the experience, which is nothing like the beautiful trademark floral engraving from Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s original pocket watches. Today, A. Lange & Söhne engravers undertake bespoke designs not just inside with specific creatives (like that of a royal family emblem, a motif or even a lover’s face) and initials, but also on the solid case back. You can place the bespoke order via your local boutique for a new piece and it then goes into the production process; while engraving initials on the balance cock can be done after purchase.

I walk over to the historic family building from 1873 (which once also housed production areas) and sit down for a light lunch with the director of press and public relations, Arnd Einhorn, who is eloquent about communicating the brand’s philosophy. There is a common speak and sensibility that pervades the brand and all associated personnel. De Haas (who incidentally had a stint at IWC before his 11 years at A. Lange & Söhne) was recently asked about making pilot’s watches. His response was simple and frank. ‘The Second World War for the Germans is a very black, dark period. Secondly, if we have companies like IWC who are masters in making a pilot’s watch, why should we do it, especially this year (the anniversary of the pilot’s watch)? To earn more money? To get more of their share of the market? That is not A. Lange & Söhne. We don’t decide on a market and then develop a product. We carefully develop the product families. And the marketing is merely our product, with the right information, with the right story.’

The developers and craftsmen in the valley who live in this placid, pristine environment, cut off from the machinations of the outside world, speaking only the local language, are the ones creating products for discerning people world over. The CEO, Wilhelm Schmid, is right when he says, “There is a certain German matter-of-factness, which can be perceived immediately.” De Haas identifies the quiet understatedness of the brand and the products as being influenced by the local area. “We are not so shiny, while we are fun. It’s very discreet; people are down to earth…with passion for detail. And I think that reflects in our products. We don’t come with pilots and spitfires and catwalks and Nicole Kidmans…it’s just us. And there are people who find it very boring, but we are how we are.” And he’s right. There is an atmosphere, in those quiet Glashütte hills filled with the sound of dedication.

The manufactory visit brings you closer to the heroes of these precision timepieces, affording you insight into a brand that believes in being subtly superior. The emotional connect isn’t with a clever marketing pitch, it’s with a labour-of-love marker of time.

A. Lange & Söhne consciously avoids having brand ambassadors — the watchmaker is the hero….as is the product.

5 things CEO Wilhelm Schmid wants you to know:

“Our first priority is that every new model is predestined to stand the test of time. This may lead to a classic design like the 1815 or more avant-garde concepts like the ZEITWERK Luminous.”

“Our second priority is recognition value. Even without the distinctive arched logo, an A. Lange & Söhne can always be identified. This is due to a combination of subtle features like the curvature of the lugs, the shape of the hands and the engraved look of the typography.”

“I am pleased to see that more and more women invest in our timepieces because they combine the best of two worlds: handcrafted mechanical excellence and timeless elegance. The majority of our watches are not designed for a specific gender but with a horological issue in mind.”

“Ever since we entered the Indian market in 2007, our timepieces have enjoyed growing popularity. We have, therefore, recently opened our fifth point of sale in Bengaluru.”

Quick Byte with Anthony De Haas, Head of Development

“Money talks, wealth whispers. Our watches are for whom wealth whispers. You are not buying an A. Lange & Söhne watch if you want to show off — when you buy a manually wound two-hand watch for 20,000 euros, you need to be a connoisseur. It’s very understated. Our sale of platinum watches is very high…why? They look like steel. So nobody recognises that you are wearing a watch that is worth 20-, 30- or 50,000 euros. But you have it for your own self. You know the inner value. Not merely the dial. The story is complete.”

Find out which vintage IWC watch their own historian recommends, along with how to check authenticity and make the right purchase

The first Special Pilot’s Watch left the IWC (International Watch Company) factory in 1936. It was the start of a unique relationship between IWC Schaffhausen and flying.

Today, 80 years later, Verve speaks to the IWC historian, David Seyffer, about the tradition of the Pilot’s Watch and about becoming an IWC collector.

What does 2016 mean for IWC?“Eighty years (of the pilot’s watches) – and we have now really made happen with a huge collection! With a different variation, really to please all needs or tastes of watch lovers but still hold onto the main characters of the heritage of the Pilot’s Watch.”

IWC at one point targeted the next male generation with the ‘father and son pilot’s watches’ – is this still a trend and has your target customer changed now?“I do not think so. Interestingly, I have met people, where the man had the Big Pilot’s watch and the woman was wearing the son’s edition. Today, the youth knows and appreciates the nostalgia associated with the mechanical watch. With all that is going on in the world, people want something out of history.”

If there is one vintage IWC watch that any collector must own which would it be?
“I would really recommend (since it’s on my wrist) the Mark XI. The reason: it’s affordable as a collector’s piece, and we have huge quantity of spare parts if it comes for servicing. The movement, Caliber 89, is like an all-running system. It’s impressive how precise these movements are which are made in the 1940s, 1950s, and it has really a cool-looking feeling. So if somebody wants to start with collecting wristwatches, this is really a nice timepiece to start with.”

Approximately, how much would it cost?
“This depends on editions. You could potentially find a vintage watch within 4-5 thousand dollars, but then if it is a rare piece and is in good condition, possibly used by BOAC, then it could go to 15 thousand dollars or so. Also, authenticity…are they all the parts 100% authentic or not?”

If somebody in India wanted to buy one of the vintage watches, where would they go? How could they check the authenticity?“Now we are living in the world of international business, so you can really get it everywhere. For example, if you find a nice offer on the Internet. But, then it’s the point of the authenticity. IWC offers a ‘certificate of authenticity’: you send your watch to IWC; there is a team of 3-4 watchmakers (and myself) and if everything looks fine, then you get an official certificate. Also works for people who want to sell antique or heritage timepieces. Interesting for all are the auctions (worldwide from the famous auction houses) where you may find a MARK XI Pilot’s watch!”

If you could get a carte blanche to create a pilot’s watch based on the history that you are so well versed with, would it be very different from what the brand currently has?“Not really…because this year’s collection is so strongly related to the original design. Probably a small change I would recommend, as a conservative person, would be to skip the date, to make the watch look like a Mark XI.”

What is the one takeaway that you would leave a new watch buyer with when it comes to IWC’s rich history and tradition?“IWC is located on the eastern part of Switzerland, therefore the design is different. It’s this east German-Swiss approach with the watch – you can find it in the way the bracelets are made. And in the way the cases were made. And of course, traditionally, what IWC was always about: precision and quality.”

Who is the IWC watch collector?“The typical watch collector is in a certain way, a freak, highly knowledgeable, with a diverse background. We have very, very rich people and we have students who save every cent they earn just to get a historical timepiece, or a new timepiece. Bottom line is, the interest to learn as much as possible about the watch. Recently, in the collector’s meet, there were people from the USA, Europe. And, there was Captain Vishal who flies Air-India A-330 for several years and guess what he wears—An IWC Pilot’s watch! So you see, meeting people from all over the world, and really with that passion, feels great!”